THE RIVER at the Greenwich Theatre
★★★
“each actor was incredibly committed and the chemistry between them was fantastic”
Jez Butterworth’s The River returns to London at the Greenwich Theatre. A play about a man who takes his girlfriends to a lovely country cabin by a river. Yet he is seemingly haunted by … something?
The show begins with a scene featuring The Man (Paul McGann) and The Woman (Amanda Ryan). They share romantic exchanges before he convinces her to go out fishing with her. After which The Man returns with The Other Woman (Kerri McLean), and their relationship and conversations appear no different. This partner swapping occurs throughout the play, suggesting that The Other Woman is one of potentially many previous partners The Man has taken to the lodge.
It has to be said that the cast, under the strong direction of James Haddrell, were brilliant. I was consistently engrossed in their characters as each actor was incredibly committed and the chemistry between them was fantastic. I could not, however, tell you what the moral or meaning of this story is though – which left me unsatisfied. Throughout the whole show, various mirroring scenes between The Man and the two women occur. In all of them I felt like I was just waiting for them to get to the point. As if we were searching through The Man’s psyche (of which the women are just tools to help do so) via the medium of his dating life, but never actually getting anywhere. He never opens up to his partners and never tells them the truth. He’s searching for something in these women, but we don’t know what. Perhaps that is the point that I am just missing. Maybe the point is he doesn’t know what he’s looking for and he is unsatisfied. That is why we don’t get answers.
McGann’s naturalistic performance of the man is subtle yet nuanced. He wonderfully shifts from loving to anxious to investigative in a matter of moments, and he was key in holding my attention throughout the show. The atmosphere of the theatre was also incredibly accurate. Julian Starr’s sound design is lovely in the way that the subtle noises of the natural world are played constantly – from the occasional cricket to the melody of the river moving. Emily Bestow has designed an incredibly detailed set that fits with the naturalistic style: a fishing cabin (where at one stage, a fish gets gutted) full to the brim of life and the world of The Man.
The best part of The River is the incredibly strong and dedicated performances throughout. It’s unfortunate that they are let down by what I would describe as a repetitive and unsubstantial plot line.
THE RIVER at the Greenwich Theatre
Reviewed on 3rd October 2024
by David Robinson
Photography by Danny With A Camera
Previously reviewed at this venue:
VINCENT RIVER | ★★★ | June 2023
AN INTERVENTION | ★★★½ | July 2022
BAD DAYS AND ODD NIGHTS | ★★★★★ | June 2021
THE RIVER
THE RIVER
Click here to see our Recommended Shows page
